Christmas Night
by s.e.h.c
Summary: James takes Lily to London on Christmas Night under the guise of going to see the lights. One shot.


**Authors note: **Hello and Merry Christmas for yesterday. I haven't written or read any fanfiction for years but last month I came back and reread the greats (TLAT and Comm) and now here we are. For a bit of fun I thought I'd write a little one shot I had on my mind. Definitely not a professional or regular writer so please excuse any errors (grammatical and Harry Potter world inconsistencies). I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Also, I own nothing (do we still say that?).

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She glanced out the window, ready to shut the curtains, when the stillness of the street caught her attention. Christmas lights, that adorned the house across the road, reflected on the wet concrete path. Flashes of red, green and gold could be seen all down the street. Her parents' house also contributed to the festive scene with their usual warm hued lights. Other than this, however, the street was still and silent. There was something peaceful about Christmas night, once everyone had their feasts and presents were unwrapped. It wasn't particularly late at all, only ten o'clock, yet her parents were ready for bed and her sister, along with that fiancé of hers, had just left. The Evans family home was now quiet at last and Lily was left feeling nostalgic. This would be her last Christmas whilst being a student at Hogwarts. She had considered spending the holiday in the castle but a headline spread across the Daily Prophet in early December changed her mind. Another update to the growing death toll in the wizarding world and a sickening story to follow. Lily sighed and fogged a small circle on the glass window. She didn't want to think about it. The dark thoughts could and would swallow her whole, if she let them.

Subsequently, like every other fleeting moment of the day just past, her mind drifted to James Potter. At the dinner table she wondered what it would be like if he were there, too. She also wondered what it would be like to sit at his dinner table. They weren't together in any official capacity. No, not at all. Yet, they weren't just friends either. From the end of sixth year, she noticed everything, she just acted like she didn't. Then, on top of her growing feelings for the Head Boy, as seventh year began it became very apparent that their futures were already planned for them. She was proud to be part of the cause, it was for her kind after all, but her independent spirit was agitated that she had no control.

With a guilty heart she had admitted this to James. Sometime in October or November, when he became her confidant. When she realised they have more in common than they do not. High in a tower off the seventh floor, she had planted herself firmly with arms crossed, staring out an open window towards the stars and told him her frustrations. Surprisingly to Lily, James didn't say a word until she was finished. She remembered that cool breeze filling the air between them until he closed the gap and simply enveloped her. Her body had instantly warmed and relaxed as she moved her arms to wrap around his waist. She couldn't help but close her eyes and breath him in, a familiar scent even though she had never been this close. Then, as if her earlier confession had held no weight in her mind, she felt urgency rise within her chest. A fear of them, her and James, becoming a could've, should've, would've but didn't. All because of her. Suddenly, absolutely nothing else mattered. He muttered something in her ear but she didn't hear it. Rather, she pulled back slightly and looked at him for only a second before moving onto her toes and kissed him. It was light and quick, more of a brushing of her lips if she were to think back on it. James didn't let that be all and before she could even lower herself, he pulled her back closer and kissed her more deeply and more sincerely than she had ever been kissed before. From that night, they never stopped but it was complicated and she knew she was on borrowed time keeping their relationship unofficial and under wraps. In the meantime, however, it was his name that ran through her mind at 3am. It was his touch which made her melt and left her craving more. He still drove her crazy but now he also kept her sane at the same time. When she felt the pressure to be serious and to grow up, he was a reminder to stay young.

A light tapping at her window broke Lily out of her thoughts. She didn't know when she had sat on her unmade bed and unconsciously started picking at her mum's handmade quilt but she pulled herself up and walked over to draw back the curtains. An unrecognizable owl was perched on the roof tiles just outside with a small piece of folded parchment in its beak. Before Lily even opened the window, she knew the handwriting. Only one person did their L's like that. Quickly, she grabbed the letter from the owl and closed the window again to keep out the cold night air. The parchment itself felt almost frozen as she unfolded it to read one word.

_London? _

Lily raised an eyebrow and looked back at her window to see the owl still sitting there but not watching her. It was facing towards the street and she peered back out the window to see what it was looking at. Her heart jumped in its familiar giddy way. Not even bothering to hide her grin, she grabbed a pen, which felt strange to write with, and scribbled her reply. She gave the parchment back to the owl which flew obediently in one swoop down to the boy now standing in the glow of the Christmas lights. Lily watched as he replicated her actions of taking the parchment from the owl and reading her reply. With a smirk he looked back up at her and cocked his head in a 'let's go' motion.

Thankful she hadn't yet taken off her make-up and changed into her pyjamas, Lily was able to quickly grab her long camel coat, black scarf and boots. All she could think was he was here, he was here, he was here. Why was he here? She didn't know. Why did he want to go to London? She didn't know. But she wasn't one for questioning James Potter's motives or actions anymore. She just went with it.

As silently as she could, Lily opened her bedroom door and shut it again. Careful not to let the lock break the silence in the hallway. Creeping down the stairs, she was cautious to miss the tell-tale floorboard on the second step from the bottom. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. Finally, at the front door, she slid on her boots and glimpsed at herself one last time in the mirror. Her dark red hair framed her pale face prettily but her eyes were tired, not from the hour but from the emotionally straining day. Unable to do anything to change that, she repeated her careful door opening and closing manoeuvre and was free. The crisp air stung her eyes and shocked her lungs but above all this she felt his presence immediately. It was something she couldn't describe but deep within her she knew he had made his way across the street towards her. She turned on her heel and looked down at him from the top step.

"Hey," Lily breathed with a smile.

"Hey," James repeated and held out his arms. Lily wasted no time in jumping from the step and into him. She didn't even bother to hold in a small squeal of happiness as he spun her around once before placing her on the ground with a kiss.

"Shh," he held a finger against her lips with a cheeky grin and eyes sparkling. "You'll wake your neighbours." Lily rolled her eyes and finally took him in. Even though she saw him out of school uniform every weekend, there was something different about seeing him out of uniform and out of Hogwarts. He looked older tonight. She pressed herself against him again, his long navy coat was soft to touch and smelt of him and Lily wished she could wrap herself in it rather than her own.

"Merry Christmas," she smiled weakly up at him, her cheek pressed against his chest.

"Merry Christmas, Lily," James kissed the top of her head and Lily closed her eyes, this was all she needed. James indulged her for the moment, letting her stay where she was and rubbed her back. She wondered if he needed this as much as she did. "Come on," James whispered into her hair. "We can't stand here all night."

Lily obliged and looped her arm with his as they set off away from the house. "So, why are we going to London?"

"I thought we'd go look at… the lights," James answered, clearly pulling inspiration from the street. Lily raised a brow suspiciously. "Okay, okay, _and_ I was missing you. It felt wrong not to be with you today," James finished in a serious tone, searching her face, she was sure, in hope the feeling was reciprocated. It was, it totally, completely was and she knew she was glowing at his words.

Lily gave one last look at the house over her shoulder but something else caught her eye. The curtains of a second-floor window a few houses down were quickly pulled closed. Her stomach tightened, had he been watching the whole thing? Focusing on the window, she stepped right into James and her head smacked on his back.

"What's wrong?" James turned in a split second and she could hear the concern in his voice. Most likely worried that she had changed her mind about their adventure before it even started. Or, perhaps more accurately, he had a heightened sense of awareness considering the growing troubles in their world.

"Nothing," Lily waved off, straightening herself up again. James's eyes narrowed and looked in the general direction of Lily's home. She was confident he didn't know Severus lived on the same street and she wasn't going to risk him finding out tonight. With one last glance over her shoulder, she tugged James forward and they carried on. "So," Lily started, putting the thought of Severus to the back of her mind. "Are we going to Wizarding London or Muggle London?"

James had also visibly relaxed which was proven in his grin. "Muggle London. You're going to show me around."

Lily stopped again with her jaw dropped, he surely wasn't serious. "Show you around? Show you around London at this hour?"

James sighed dramatically and also stopped walking. He made a point of turning around to face her and Lily still couldn't believe what she was hearing. Until he winked, "Of course I know my way around. Now can we get _going_?"

Within a few minutes they found a hidden spot and James apparated them to London. Lily blinked multiple times trying to adjust to the darkness of their new location. "This isn't the Leaky Cauldron," she said slowly.

"No," James confirmed, readjusting his scarf.

"This is just a mews, Potter," Lily observed. Despite the poor light, she could make out the front doors to homes surrounded by large pots with nothing but dead shrubs inside. It must have been raining earlier here as well as the cobblestones were slippery when she started to walk.

"Correct," James said and Lily rolled her eyes making her way towards the main road to see if she could recognise anything. James slowly followed her with his hands tucked into his pockets.

She reached the end, looked left, then right, then left again, before James made his way up to her side. Each direction looked the same with neat brick terraced homes placed next to each other. Some had a tree in the front with a couple of lights hung on the branches while others had their curtains opened, exposing elegant interiors. There were no cars going by and no people to see except for themselves, standing in the light of a lamp post.

"I don't know where we are," said Lily curiously.

James mimicked Lily's actions with exaggeration. He leaned out, looked left, then right, then left again. "One could say… we're in Marylebone. What do you think, should we go left or right?"

Lily eyed him with curiosity. "Left?" she suggested.

"Let's go right," James threw his arm over her shoulder and steered her down the narrow street.

Lily made the most of their slow pace by snooping into the ground floor rooms of the terraced homes. Some had Christmas trees which stretched to reach the high ornate ceilings. Others had chandeliers dripping down towards the furniture which, she suspected, no one ever sat on or used. Out of the corner of her eye she caught James smiling at her with soft eyes. She smiled back and let her head rest on his arm. The silence between them was welcomed after her day filled with voices trying to be louder than the next. Desperate attempts to be heard and to be understood.

As if reading her mind, James broke the silence. "How was your day? Sorry, I never asked."

"Don't worry, I never asked you either," Lily avoided the question and stared at their feet walking in unison.

James squeezed her arm. "Is this the best part of your Christmas?" he probed.

"Ha, easily," Lily answered more bitterly than she intended. "Is this your best part?"

"Could be," James shrugged and brought their slow pace to a complete stop. Lily used this as an opening to completely change the topic. To throw the scent of her uneasy and complicated Christmas Day.

Wrapping her bare hand around a very cold, patent black, iron fence post, she leaned off it in front of James. "_Could be_, hey?" she repeated, raising a brow.

James smirked, glancing at the house behind the fence Lily leaned off, then back to her. Lily didn't fall for his trick. There were no lights on in the house, so she doubted the resident would be running out anytime soon to tell them to move on.

"People don't like strangers touching their fence posts around here, you know?" James said in a matter of fact tone. Lily frowned as she watched his hands go back in his coat pockets and not around her.

"Well, I'm sure Mr… Number Sixteen won't mind," she quickly spotted the number on the white column near the front door. "Doesn't look like they're home anyway," Lily swung forward to quickly kiss the corner of James's mouth before swinging back.

"They might be around," James suggested, taking a step closer and preventing her swinging. Lily let go of the fence and placed both hands on his chest. She caught his gaze and kept it as he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She moved onto the balls of her feet and pressed her cold lips against his. Wanting to hold him here for longer, she intertwined her fingers behind his neck and James responded just as eagerly by pushing her back gently to lean against the fence.

"What about Number Sixteen's fence?" Lily muttered as James placed kisses along her jaw line. She was all but short of removing her scarf to give him more access.

"He doesn't mind," James replied coming back to her mouth.

Lily willingly obliged for a moment then paused in the name of teasing. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because," James placed one more kiss on her lips then snaked his arm between her and the fence to pull her body as close to his as possible. He looked down at her but his expression was blank, giving nothing anyway. Especially not what was coming next. "Mr _Number Sixteen_, as you have titled the owner, would be me. Well, my parents, but I can speak on their behalf."

Lily blinked and James conveniently stepped back so she could turn around to face the house.

"They've just sold it, actually. We never used it and in the new year it'll be someone else's," James explained as Lily looked from the bottom floor up to the third and down again. She felt him wrap his arms around her from behind and kiss the top of her head as she stood still. "Do you want to go in?" he asked.

Lily shuffled around in his arms to face him. "Is that… is that allowed?"

James shrugged and reached for the gate lock. "Sure, why not?" He wasn't waiting for her answer as he made his way over the threshold. Lily, on the other hand, was more apprehensive about this little house tour. It did not escape her for a second that this was an empty home. No teachers, no students, no parents, no one to interrupt them. Her stomach flipped at the possibility. Her heartbeat quickened and echoed in her ears. James wouldn't be her first and she certainly wasn't his. Something about when it came to James, however, felt so final, so _not_ casual. Whatever was happening between them needed to be decided before anything else. "Lily?"

He brought her back to the moment and his relaxed features didn't mirror her own. James knew this and gave a small smile. "Everything's okay," he held out his hand for her. "But it's cold, Lil," he added impatiently.

She ran a hand through her hair before reaching out and grabbing James's. He held onto her tightly as they walked up the slippery black and white tiled steps to the oversized front door. James tapped his wand against the lock and with a small creak, it opened. He never let go of Lily's hand as he pushed the door open, the hinges groaning in the cold. With James pulling her inside, she wondered if he was afraid she'd change her mind but she closed the door behind them, with no intention of leaving soon. James waved his wand again lazily and the house lit up, albeit dimly. Small candles on the wall around them illuminated a hallway with three doors on either side until a set of stairs which led to the next level. As to be expected, the hallway was bare of any portraits or family memorabilia which usually adorned a pureblood family entrance. The wallpaper reminded Lily of that in the Gryffindor common room. Regally red with a whimsical gold pattern running through it.

As James led her down the hallway and through the last door on the left before the stairs, Lily noticed that the house didn't smell unused. Instead, it smelt slightly of pine and certainly not stale as one would imagine for a home not lived in. James finally let go of her hand once they were in the kitchen and started rummaging through a trunk which sat on a long wooden table, holding court in the centre of the room. Lily took in her surroundings, thankfully the wallpaper didn't get a feature in the kitchen. Rather the walls were partially stone and then white with exposed beams along the ceiling sans cobwebs. The benchtops were clear yet a lone black kettle still sat on the stove top, awaiting its new owner. Lily walked along the opposite side of the table to James, passing a very ornate fireplace and made her way over to the floor to ceiling windows which ran along the back wall. She cupped her hand so she could see outside just in time to witness a city fox slip through the fence of a well-manicured garden.

"Ah ha!" James exclaimed, holding a bottle of champagne high.

Lily watched his reflection in the windows and shook her head with a smile. "James, are sure no one lives here?" she questioned, before turning around to make her way back to him.

"Positive, why?" James asked, not looking up as he busied himself transfiguring odd items in the trunk into two glasses and chilling the champagne with a quick flick of his wand.

"It just seems… everything seems very clean and well-kept. For some place never used it feels… almost homely."

"Oh, well, house elves come and clean it once a week," James held out a glass for Lily and chuckled at the concern all over her face. "No one is going to jump out of the next room. I promise."

"Hmm," Lily accepted the glass.

"To saving Lily Evans's Christmas," James tapped his own filled glass against hers.

Lily opened her mouth to say something but nothing came so she just took her first sip, never taking her eyes off James.

"Don't let me forget, I can't leave without that trunk," James motioned back to the old trunk on the table from which he had pulled out the champagne.

"Got it," Lily duly noted, piecing together the real reason why they had come. Despite this, she suspected that James wasn't intending on just having a few sips of the champagne. So, she removed her coat and folded it over one of the few chairs at the table. Fishing her own wand out from an inside pocket, she pointed it towards the fireplace and with a small twist of her wrist, the fire roared. Satisfyingly, the warm golden light filled the kitchen and so did a comforting warmth. As James placed his own coat on top of hers, Lily propped herself up onto the end of the table and sat her glass next to James's. He wasted no time placing his hands on her thighs and moving to stand between her legs. She cupped his face and pulled him down, his lips already tasting like the champagne they were drinking. She removed her scarf as the room and her body warmed quickly. Throwing it to the side, she went to remove James's as he moved his kisses down her neck. His scarf, however, fell limply out of Lily's hands and onto the floor as he squeezed her thighs. She sighed and he moved back to her lips. Without her permission, her back arched, pushing her front into him.

"_Lily_," James whispered with a warning tone, placing his forehead against hers, eyes still closed.

She suppressed a guilty smile, knowing she was doing it again. Giving him signals to go further. "Sorry," she said weakly.

"Hmm," James opened his eyes and gave her a pointed look before reaching for his glass. He finished it as if it were water then moved around to refill. Lily simply sipped away at her own and scooted off of the table. She felt James's eyes on her as she walked towards the kitchen door. Looking over her shoulder she caught him, that look made her weak at the knees. A small smile at his lips, softness yet determination in his eyes and the handsomeness of a gentleman who knew when not to be gentle. A lifetime of difference away from who he used to be and Lily knew that this James was only for her. No one else saw this.

"Can I?" she motioned towards the hallway with her glass in hand.

"Sure," James shrugged, visibly disappointed she even got off the table to begin with.

Lily wandered back into the hallway and tapped her fingers on her glass as she decided which room to enter next. A floorboard creaked under her as she stepped towards a room second from the front. She felt hesitant to go into a front room in fear of being seen from the street. Upon opening the door, she was disappointed to find a completely empty room with the same dim lighting as in the hallway. She closed the door and tried the one opposite. As she stepped into her second room of choice her breath caught in her lungs. Along every wall were elaborate wooden shelves of books, the spines well cracked and fabric tattered on many. The scent of the books filled her and she caught herself smiling. Losing herself in the room, she finished her champagne as she read the spines at eye level. After one slow lap she found herself at the door again and feeling light.

Lily frowned as she walked into the empty kitchen. Guessing James could not be too far away, she helped herself to the champagne, taking in the year on the bottle – 1860. "Merlin," she muttered under her breath, feeling guilty such an old bottle was being wasted on her.

"It's not that old in comparison," James spoke up from behind her. Lily looked up to see him leaning against the doorframe. In comparison to what, she didn't want to know. "Are you having fun?"

"Yeah, I checked out the library. You've got a few books to pack up yet, Potter," Lily sipped her champagne.

James pushed himself off the frame and walked towards her, "I think they're staying with the house. My parents have no use for them, nor do I."

"It seems like a nice place," said Lily, looking around the kitchen again.

James stopped in front of her, the tips of their shoes touching. "We could have a place like this," he said barely audibly as if scared to say it too loudly. Lily was thankful he kissed her at the end of that suggestion, buying her time to reply. She didn't have her response ready by the time he pulled away and her attempt at continuing was unsuccessful.

"We have Hogwarts," she internally cringed at her hasty response. Moving her glass from one hand to the other she tried to gather the right words.

"After Hogwarts," James clarified needlessly as he removed Lily's champagne glass from her hands and placed it next to the old stove top. He leaned against the bench with both his arms, effectively trapping her between them. Lily tried to avoid his stare by looking past his right arm at a little hole in the wall, no doubt caused by a mouse. Those house elves clearly weren't too thorough. Or maybe they needed a cat in here. Somebody should tell the new owners. "Lily."

She wasn't ignoring him, she just wanted to get her words right but James gave up with an exasperated sigh and pushed himself off the bench. Running both hands through his hair, he walked away from her, heading towards the door.

Lily mimicked the action running a hand through her own hair. "Wait," she called and breathed deeply. This was about to be a defining a moment. She just needed a second. There was no better time than now and she had been thinking about this for days. Not moving in together, of course, _that_ was slightly left field of him. But moving onto the next step? Yes.

"Just wait a second," she said, taking a step towards him. "I know that –"

"Honestly," James cut Lily off and turned to face her with a telling confidence, he had his next line rehearsed too. "I know you could finish Hogwarts, go live your own life and do just fine without me in it."

"James –"

"And we'd see each other plenty. What, with the Order coming to shape and everything."

"This is true," Lily confirmed, a small smile playing at her lips. Her confidence only grew with his words. He was definitely heading in the wrong direction and it would be her pleasure to set him straight.

"I haven't forgotten what you said either, about not wanting a relationship during a war. Always having to worry about whether the other person will come home…" James trailed off with another frustrated sigh and avoided Lily's gaze by staring out the windows. She was standing in front of him again by this point, noticing the light of the fire playing on his features. Beyond the light and shadows, she could see his jaw clenching and the dark thoughts brewing. They weren't going to go there tonight, it was too miserable and too real. Besides, now she needed to correct him. Lily pulled lightly on his sweater to bring his attention back to her. Catching his stare, she'd never felt so sure, so untroubled and so her next piece came so naturally.

"But… if you are coming home," she started slowly, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "I want you to come home to _me_. And if I'm coming home, I want to come home to _you_." Still with one hand clutching his sweater and the other at the back of his head, she pulled him in closer so their lips met. If she doubted their kisses could get any deeper or more passionate she was proven wrong in that moment. James stooped down, picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him. "I need you – to promise – me something," she breathed between kisses.

"Anything," James answered quickly. He placed her back on the table and his hands began to roam her body whilst he continued kissing her.

"Always come home," Lily pulled back so she could look at him. Her breath was heavy and James's brow furrowed slightly as his eyes moved around her face. She felt naïve to say it but as he had already alluded to, this was a great concern of hers. To get into a relationship, to move in with someone, to fall in love with them, all for what? For them to not come home one day. How was she supposed to go on with her life if James didn't come home? The scenario played out in her mind more than she cared to admit. She had even dreamt it and woke up tangled in her sheets, heartbeat racing. In her mind it was always Remus Lupin knocking on her door, face grave and telling. And even though it was just a thought, a dream, her stomach dropped and tears prickled her eyes if she let it consume her. So, "James?"

"I promise and you need to do the same for me," he demanded. Lily felt her shoulders drop and tension she didn't even realise she was holding in her face relax.

"Of course," she answered with a kiss. With no further promises or clarification, they continued on. Their kisses growing quicker with desperation for more and bodies pushing against each other until James slowly guided Lily to lie back on the table. At this point she would do whatever he said, her whole body aching for more of him. Just as James was leaning over her a loud dinging noise reverberated throughout the house and James dropped his head. The tips of his hair touching Lily's face.

"_Fuck_," James muttered as what Lily had now realised was a grandfather clock chiming throughout the house. "We should go," James announced.

"What? We don't have to, we can stay," Lily's voice was just short of a plea.

"No, it's midnight. Come on," James moved back but Lily could tell this was taking all his self-control.

Depleted, Lily accepted his hand as he helped her back up and off the table. As soon as she was up right again, James apparated and she was standing in her street. Lily grabbed a hold of his arm as a wave of sickness washed over her. "You did that too fast," she sent him a glare.

"Sorry, if I didn't I wouldn't have been able to stop," James answered truthfully. "All right?"

"Yeah," Lily nodded and wrapped an arm around his waist. She didn't want to leave that moment but at the same time a part of her was relieved. It was not the time or place.

Coming fully to her senses, she shivered then realised, "Our coats!"

"Oh, yes. Right, we better get you inside then," James started walking back towards her house. They were only a few metres away and Lily wondered if James apparated this closely when he had first arrived. If he did, it was a risky move.

"Are you going to go back and get them? Along with that trunk?" Lily asked as they reached the short hedges which framed the front lawn of the Evans home. No iron fences here to lean on.

James shrugged and kissed her in a way that Lily sensed was goodbye. Her heart sank at the ending of their night and knowing she wouldn't see him until they were boarding the Hogwarts Express. "Thank you for coming with me tonight," he said and for the first time she could see that he was tired.

"James, what about my coat?" Lily asked, deciding that he clearly didn't care about his own.

"Calm down, I'll go get it. Maybe… or maybe not," James added as a corner of his mouth curled into a smile.

"What does that mean?" Lily asked, not appreciating his game or him nudging her along the path and up the stairs.

"It means," he started and placed a quick kiss on her lips, "tonight was the best part of my Christmas." James kissed her again.

Now at the front door, Lily's heart lurched in apprehension of this all being over. "James, you said the new owners will be in there in a few days."

"About that," he started walking casually down the stairs, hands back in pockets.

"What about that?" Lily whispered trying not to raise her voice.

James shrugged, knowing his nonchalance was killing her. "Might not sell it," he said thoughtfully, looking back over his shoulder at her.

"_What_?" Lily gaped at him.

"Good night, Lily." Now he really started walking away.

"James," Lily called, struggling to keep her voice down. She started to walk back down the stairs but James quickly turned and held out a finger. Lily froze.

"Your lips are turning blue. Go inside," James ordered.

"Seriously? You can't leave on that," Lily crossed her arms but at the mention of her lips her whole body began to shiver.

"It would serve you well to have some faith in your boyfriend, Lily Evans," James winked at her and disappeared into thin air with a crack.

Disbelief flooded her yet she beamed. Catching herself, Lily looked around quickly despite it being too late if there were any onlookers. Her eyes glanced towards Severus's house. Indeed, the light was still on. Lily scoffed and turned to go inside. Once up in her room she kept the lights off and stared out the window at the very spot she had just been standing with James. Her heart was leaping inside her chest and she grinned to herself. She would always come home to James and no one was going to jeopardise or prevent that. Running with that thought and knowing that sleep was not close, Lily searched her bag for a Hogwarts library book she had loaned but was yet to open. Upon finding it, she sat on her bed and turned on her lamp. _Defence Against the Dark Arts: Beyond Theory,_ Lily turned the cover and began at the start.

She was only five pages in, not even past the introduction, when there was another tapping at her window. Lily placed the book at the end of her bed and practically leaped to the window. The same owl as before was back and before she grabbed the note, she scanned the street. No one was there and her heart sank a little. The owl hooted impatiently and she retrieved the parchment. As soon as it was in her hand the owl flew away so she flopped herself back on her bed and unfolded the paper. That giddy smile returning to her lips.

_New Years – mine, yours or ours?_


End file.
